Against

by Christopher Shinn

seen at the Almeida Theatre on 9 September 2017

Ian Rickson directs Ben Whishaw in this new play which investigates the ills of modern society through the mission of Luke, an IT billionaire, to 'go where the violence is'. Early in his 'project' he meets the parents of a young mass-murderer, hoping to discover something about the violence and perhaps to help them come to terms with it. In later developments, we see more of the people reacting to his 'project', rather than their direct interactions with him - indeed Luke becomes, against his will, something of a celebrity figure as his journeys across America are followed by the media.

Teddy Ferrara

by Christopher Shinn

seen at the Donmar Warehouse on 15 October 2015

The play, directed by Dominic Cooke and designed by Hildegard Bechtler, features Luke Newberry as Gabe, Oliver Johnstone as Drew, Matthew Marsh as the college president and Ryan McParland as Teddy.

This play depicts the contradictory and confusing attitudes surrounding campus politics as the administration attempts to deal with calls for less discrimination in the wake of a student suicide. Drew, the editor of the student newspaper, publishes an article claiming that the suicide was gay, though the issue had never before been raised. When Teddy Ferrara, a new gay student, also takes his own life, the situation becomes even more explosive.